Balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, rotorary ablation and similar therapeutic techniques used to improve circulation in vivo are finding ever-increasing application in therapeutic cardiology. Generally, balloon angioplasty procedures involve the introduction of a balloon-type catheter into the narrowed portion of an artery. The narrowing of the artery may be caused by different factors but most commonly is caused by a build-up of "atherosclerotic plaque". Once the catheter is positioned in the narrowed portion of the artery, the balloon portion of the catheter is inflated. The inflation of the balloon within the narrowed area of the artery serves to increase the diameter of the blood vessel thus improving circulation.
Often times, following a balloon angioplasty therapeutic procedure or similar therapeutic technique with attendant vascular injury, patients experience a re-narrowing or restenosis, of the artery within six months after having undergone the angioplasty therapeutic treatment or after incurring the particular vascular injury. Restenosis is of considerable concern since its effects may be life threatening.
Therefore, the need for a suitable compound for therapeutic use to prevent restenosis following balloon angioplasty or similar therapeutic techniques which may cause vascular injury is of significant importance. It is an object of the present invention to meet this need.